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Verizon Business Enhances Global Communications for Swedish Match

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 September 2008, 03:00 CDT

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Swedish Match, a global group with a broad offering of market-leading brands in smoke-free tobacco products, cigars, pipe tobacco and lights products, is streamlining its worldwide voice and data communications with Verizon Business. The company is implementing a fully managed Verizon Private IP solution to enhance communications between its global offices and manufacturing facilities to enhance its customer-service capabilities.

Swedish Match, which has its headquarters in Stockholm, has more than 12,000 employees in 50 offices across Asia, Europe, Central, North and South America, and South Africa, and sells its products in 100 countries. Therefore, enabling the smooth exchange of information between the company's manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities is critical in ensuring that resources are effectively distributed.

Swedish Match sought a strategic partner that could support its current and future global communication needs, while also achieving cost and management efficiencies. The company also wanted a next-generation, IP-based set of applications to enhance its overall communication capabilities, both internally and with customers and suppliers.

Under a three-year contract with Swedish Match, Verizon Business will provide a fully managed Verizon Private IP solution as the foundation of its global wide area network. Verizon Private IP is a network-based, virtual private network (VPN) that enables customers to effectively communicate over a secure network. The service also provides the foundation for automating business processes between companies, including e-commerce, and shared intranets and extranets.

Today, Verizon Business manages 260,000-plus devices on more than 4,200 customer networks in 142 countries and territories, overseeing non-Verizon connections from more than 60 network providers around the world. Verizon Business' industry-leading service-level commitments and award-winning IMPACT management platform underscore its legacy of service and innovation. Verizon Business also offers a suite of professional network and security services to help customers successfully deploy and manage their IP networks.

Anders Jonsson, director GCIS of Swedish Match, commented: "Verizon Business has the global reach and proven capabilities we needed to support our business, and therefore ensure we were maximising our global customer service capabilities. The company is able to bring new locations into play, and has the capacity and capabilities required to support all our current and potential communications needs. Of course, with Verizon Managed Services Complete, we also are able to focus on our own business objectives, knowing that our network is in safe hands."

Jan Claeson, Nordics sales director, Verizon Business, commented: "Global companies like Swedish Match rely on a secure, flexible, global communications infrastructure in order to maintain continued market success and reinforce strategic business growth. We look forward to supporting Swedish Match in achieving its global business objectives now and in the future."

About Swedish Match

Swedish Match is a global Group with a broad offering of market-leading brands within smokefree tobacco products, cigars, pipe tobacco and lights products. The company sales in 2007 was 12 551 MSEK and the average number of employees 12 075. Swedish Match is listed at the OMX Nordic Stock Exchange (SWMA). For more information, please visit http://www.swedishmatch.com/

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications , operates the world's most connected public IP network and uses its industry-leading global-network capabilities to offer large-business and government customers an unmatched combination of security, reliability and speed. The company integrates advanced IP communications and information technology (IT) products and services to deliver leading enterprise solutions including managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional services. These solutions power innovation and enable the company's customers to do business better. For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/.

Verizon Business

CONTACT: Clare Ward, Verizon Business, +44 (0)118 905 3501,clare.ward@verizonbusiness.com, or Janet Brumfield, +1-614-723-1060,Janet.brumfield@verizon.com

Web Site: http://www.swedishmatch.com/http://www.verizonbusiness.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

Source: PRNewswire

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